Posts Tagged ‘perseverance’

Perseverance

Posted in Bible Study, Life and Ministry, tagged blessing, Christian Ethic, God, gods at war, guidry, hupomone, joy, perseverance, protection, remain under, Sam, The Lewis House, Toledo, transformation, trust on March 27, 2014| Leave a Comment »

What a wonderful week! It started off a little rough, Nisa was not feeling well but she came around just in time for us to make the trip to the Assembly of God Fine Arts Festival for the Michigan District held in Lansing. While it was great to be able to watch so many teens on fire for God and sharing their talents, it was even more wonderful to see Allana blossom this week. It was really about two weeks ago that she seemed to make a real breakthrough but she really shined this weekend. Even after the busy two days of Fine Arts she was up and ready to go to hear Dustin Reed bring a great word at Compelled Church and then share a wonderful evening of fellowship and vision with CityLight Church! I am so thankful for God’s miraculous hand in all the events of the past year and a half. I am so thankful for God’s gift of Perseverance during this difficult time in our lives. However as we look at this Biblical concept a little more closely it becomes clear that God does not just provide Perseverance for the tough times. This gift needs to be a core characteristic of every Christian.

Peter in his second recorded epistle links this quality to our participation in the divine nature of God! Everyone appreciates getting gifts but how special it is when one receives a gift that extends from the very nature of the giver. So many gifts are gifts of obligation but when the gift proceeds from the heart and represents the very being of the giver it becomes that much more special.

2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord ; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. 5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:2-7, the bold is mine)

Even more important this gift is one that is critical to the transformation process that Life in Christ Jesus brings.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of theLord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18

It is only when we persevere, remaining “under” Jesus Christ that the wonderful transformation into His Spiritual image can take place. While it is a gift from God perseverance also requires intentionality from the recipient. It is a gift that only functions when the recipient is fully focused on the giver. Kyle Idleman tells us that idols are created when gifts from God become more important than the giver (gods at war). This is what happens when perseverance becomes completely focused on the events of our life (usually the negative ones) and not on Jesus Christ.

For You have been my help, And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. Psalm 63:7

Don’t wait for disaster to strike to rest in the shadow of His wings. The more we remain there, the more we will experience the joy of true perseverance.

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Introduction to Perseverance

Posted in Bible Study, tagged Allana Guidry, Bible, blessing, Christ Jesus, Christian Ethic, faith, focus, God, Jesus Christ, love, obedience, perseverance, prayer, Sam, The Lewis House, Toledo, transformation on March 10, 2014| 3 Comments »

“Now may the God who gives Perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus”

Romans 15:5

I have been thinking a lot about perseverance lately. I had the privilege of being a guest of YESFM and Tommy Briggs to share a week of devotionals called The Morning Munch. This word perseverance kept rolling through my mind as I looked to prepare for this time of sharing. After this year of walking with Allana through the treatment protocols for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia it seemed like an appropriate topic. After all the keynote verses about perseverance that we all know are found in Romans 5.

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)

Unfortunately it seems that too often an exploration of perseverance stops with this idea of suffering and that they are forever linked as cause and effect. This important quality of Life in Christ deserves a closer look. The Bible has a lot to say about perseverance. The word most often translated as perseverance, endurance or steadfastness is the Greek word Hupomone. As with so many Greek words (and English too I might add) it is a combination of two roots, Upo and Meno.

UPO- about, under

MENO- abide, remain, stay, continue to be, survive, held or kept continually

Breaking it down and putting it back together again brings us to this idea of remaining under or about something. Often it seems that this idea is taken to mean remaining under the problems and trials that life brings. When asked about a trial going on in one’s life “We are persevering!” seems the easy answer. We may not use that word anymore but when we distill down all the answers we give and all the advice that is coming in it comes down to abiding under the trial until its end. The problem with this view of perseverance is that it is focused on the trial, the trouble, the problem, not on our amazing God who is the ultimate solution. Hupomone is not about “super-moaning” through life as we bounce from trial to trial. Biblical perseverance encompasses Romans 8:37 “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through him who loved us.”

The source of perseverance tells us a lot about it’s characteristics. Our title verse makes it clear where perseverance come’s from.

“Now may the God who gives perseverance…”

Biblical perseverance is first and foremost a gift from God. This is one of those gifts that Jesus was talking about in Matthew 7:11

“If you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him.”

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